by Y. P. Gupta
ORGANIC food without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides is being promoted in the USA, Canada, Austria, Italy, Poland and Cuba. These are processed without artificial preservatives. The products are more nutritious and resistant to diseases. Organic fruit and vegetables contain around 40 per cent more anti-oxidants than those produced with fertilisers. The products are required to be certified by an accredited agency.
The Green Revolution of the 1960s needed high inputs in respect of quality seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation, farm mechanisation, etc. As a result, the problems of that agricultural phenomenon are now emerging. It can have an adverse effect on agricultural development. There have been both qualitative and quantitative degradation of land, waste and bio-resources; fertile lands have become uncultivable due to waterlogging and salinity, and the post-harvest losses have been substantial.
Organic farming is now being promoted in India. It plans to cover a range of high-value crops, including spices, fruit, vegetables, milk, poultry products, etc. An estimated 3.8 million hectares are now under organic farming in different states. These products fetch 25-30 per cent higher value than non-organic products.
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